The present invention relates to improvements in sealing rings for rolling bearings.
Sealing rings of the general type to which the present invention relate which include a stiffening plate having an axially inwardly directed collar in the hub section of the ring body are not new per se and a typical sealing ring of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,259. A drawback in this known-type sealing ring is that the hub section at its inner elastically resilient axial end must be firmly seated on a relatively narrow seating surface of the outer race. Accordingly, it has been found that this type of sealing ring can be easily tilted and installed at an angle when it is assembled in the bearing assembly. These conditions, that is, a tilted position of the sealing ring in the outer race, however, are extremely harmful since the sealing lip of the ring body can bind on the sliding or sealing surface and are, thus, incapable of providing an adequate seal. Furthermore, when this known-type of sealing ring is firmly seated on the seating surface in the bore of the outer race, bending forces develop which exert a one-sided bending force on the collar section of the stiffening plate. These bending forces cause axially outward bulging of the web section of the stiffening plate and for this reason as well, the accurate positioning of the sealing lips in the rolling bearing is not always guaranteed.